I’m excited to announce that I’m finally launching the blue bean studio Mug Adoption Program in honor of Mother’s Day weekend! The idea has been swimming in my head for a very long time, but I didn’t know what to do with it until a few days ago. That is, I was finally motivated to put the idea into action…

After my last batch of mugs for the Kirkland Artist Studio Tour came out of the kiln, I realized I was going to have some trouble parting with a few of them. Since I spend quite a bit of time painting every character on each of my pots, I often get attached to them… kinda like they were my pets. It can get pretty difficult to see them go, which would explain the ever-increasing collection in my cupboard.

The problem is, our tiny apartment cannot support any more of these little guys, so I do have to send them off to new loving homes (and hopefully a few lucky ones will meet their new owners this weekend). While I’m not quite at the point of separation anxiety, I’m definitely going to miss some of these sweet mugs. My solution? Launch the Mug Adoption Program (henceforth also known as the M.A.P.).

So how does it all work? To put it simply…

More specifically, when someone picks out a mug (or any item with a face on it, for that matter), they can name the piece and write it on an “adoption card” (along with their name and the “adoption” date). Then they take a photo of the card with the mug and send it to me at bluebeanstudio(at)gmail.com.

I am hoping to collect enough photos to create a virtual photo wall on the website so that people can see their mugs among the big blue bean studio family. This way, I can have a record of every little creation and perhaps, one day, even keep track of where they are in the world!

Adopt a mug today : )

Before I crossed the threshold from being merely a consumer to a creator, I had always enjoyed seeing the “magic” that happens behind the scenes to see how things are made. Now that I spend much more time with my hands dirty making things, I am even more intrigued by how and where art is created. For me, the act of observing draws me into the realm of the process and connects me to the maker.

Perhaps it is my fascination with the transformative process that hooks me in — the layering of colors on to a blank canvas to convey a scene, the melting and shaping of glass to form curvy vessels, the weaving of individual threads to form a detailed tapestry… And of course, being in ceramics, clay in particular never ceases to surprise me with its transformation from wet amorphous blob to functional or sculptural pieces.

All this to say… I’ll be on the other side of things this upcoming Mother’s Day weekend. We, along with 19 other studios across the city of Kirkland, are flinging the doors open to invite the public into our space and see what we get up to here in the Resident Ceramic Artist studio. We will be doing some demos in addition to showing and selling our work. While I wish I had some time to explore the other studios myself, I look forward to interacting with visitors and engaging others in the artistic process!

Find out more at www.kirklandartiststudiotour.com.